Glass tube cutter



March 17, 1953 A. PIERSON 2,631,411

GLASS TUBE CUTTER Filed July 10, 1951 INVENTOR 5-3 I LOUIS A. PIERSON ill WW ATTORNEY iatented Mar. 17, 1953 UNITED s'r-Ares fLouis A. Pierson, Meriden; 06115;

Application July 10, 1951; Serial No. 235,925. 1 J I. 2 Claims. (01. 495-452 This invention relates to a glass tube cutter and has for an object to provide an improved device for cutting glass tubes, particularly of the type used in the medical profession such as suture tubes as used in operating-rooms and the necks of ampoules all of which are usually hermetically sealed.

A further object of this invention is to provide an improvement on the ampoule neck cutter shown in my prior Patent 2,447,988 of August 24, 1948. Y

A further object of this invention is to provide an ampoule or glass tube cutter particularly useful in cutting a hermetically sealed glass tube or ampoule neck so that the contents thereof may be made readily accessible and usable without danger of contamination.

Yet a further object of this invention is to provide a cutter instrument tool that may be readily sterilized simultaneously with other medical or surgical tools, thus insuring against the cutter tool carrying anycontamination to the contents of the tube or ampoule.

A further object of this invention is to provide a glass tube cutter which may have its cutter element brought into bearing contact with the glass tube and then held in contact therewith at the same unvarying pressure while the tube or ampoule is rotated tothereby abrade a cutting line completely aboutthe tube, thus enabling the tube to be easily and safely broken at such uniformly abraded cutter line.

With the foregoing and-other objects in view, this invention comprises the combination, construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter set forth, claimed and disclosed in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side plan view, partly in section, of the cutter tool of this invention.

Fig. 2 is an exploded view of the cutter jaws of this tool.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary partly sectional view of the hinging means of the cutter levers, and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view through the levers showin the threaded jaw closing shaft.

There is shown at In the glass tube cutter tool of this invention. This invention includes cutter carrying lever ll having an extending boss l2 near one end thereof adapted to be inserted in a correspondingly shaped slotted aperture l3 in an anvil lever 14. A hinge pin l5 anchored through transverse apertures H5 in the anvil lever I4 and extending through an aligned transverse aperture I1 and the boss I2 serves to journal the cutter lever II and anvil lever l4 together. The

anvil lever 14 is curvedaway at 8 between the journal shaft 45 and itsadjacentend 20, thus permitting alimited separation of the anvil and cutter jaw ends of the levers, aspringZi located in countersunk recesses 22 inthe levers serving to normally urge the cutter and anvil jaw ends toward such separated position.

The distance that thecutter lever I l and anvil lever 14; maybe separated from each other is adjustably limited by means of a threaded shaft 23 which is-pivoted at 24 through a slotted aperture 25 in the jaw lever I4 andextendsthrough a slotted aperture 26in the anvil lever H and is provided with a knurled nut 21. The nut 21 obviously not only serves to adjustably limit the separation of the jaws ll and 14, but by being tightened on the threaded shaft 23, it abuts against the back. of. the. cutter lever ii and thus forces the cutter lever II toward the anvil lever l4. The jaw ends28 of anvil lever i4 is provided as shown with a pair of flats.30 and 3| meeting in an angular recess 32, the flats .30 and 3| thus providing anvil surfaces'against which a suture tube 33 maybe locatedwhile being cut open. The cutter lever jaw end 34' is provided with a pair of flats 35 and 36 whose-planes meet at an angle complementary to the angle 32. of the recessed jaw end 28. This jaw end 34 is arranged toreceive and hold a cutter wheel 31which is journaled on the bight 38 of a U-shaped axlew having its sides 4| arranged to be received in rearwardly extending slots 42 on the opposite sides of the cutter jaw end 34, the bight 38 being arranged to, be received in a transverse slot 43 connecting the rearwardly extending slots 42 across the'projecting jaw flat 35 and 36. A longitudinally extendin slot 44 is provided through the flats 35 and 36 for receiving the cutter wheel 31 therein, this slot 44 extending deeper than the transverse slot 43 and being so related in size to the cutter wheel 31 that the outer edge of the cutter wheel 31 would extend beyond the outer edge of the projecting jaw end 34. The sides 4| of the U-shaped axle 40 are preferably somewhat resilient and extend at a slight angle toward each other so that they may be sprung apart to resiliently hold the axle in position in the rearward slots 42 with the cutter 31 in proper position in its longitudinal slot 44. The cutter wheel 31 will be made of any suitable material with an edge of substantially diamond hardness, either a commercial diamond or a material of suitable hardness such as tungsten carbide or other material, thus, in effect, providing a rotary diamond edge suitable for cutting or abrading glass.

In operation, tool may be held in one hand with the jaw ends 34 and 28 just far enough apart to permit the suture tube 33 to be placed therebetween and against the anvil jaw. The knurled nut 2'! is then tightened abutting against the back of anvil lever H until the cutter wheel 31 has been brought against the side of the suture tube 33 to apply just the proper amount of pressure thereon. Then, holding the tube 33 in one hand and the tool in the other hand the tube and the tool are rotated relative to each other to abrade a complete circle about the tube whereupon the tube may readily be broken along the abraded cutter line thus provided thereon without danger of contaminating the contents of the tube or of the ampoule and without danger of cutting ones fingers. The tool I 0 is of hard metal, preferable completely chromium plated about the levers knurled nut or other parts where it may be handled and may be sterilized along with other surgical tools, thus preventing the tool from contaminating the suture tube or ampoule neck on which it is being used. The cutter wheel 31 and its axle 49 may be readily removed and replaced should the cutter become dull at any time.

While the device has been shown and the structure described in detail, it is obvious that this invention is not to be considered as being limited to the exact form disclosed, and that changes in detail and construction may be made therein within the scope of what is claimed, without departing from the spirit of this invention.

Having thus set forth and disclosed the nature of this invention, what is claimed is:

1. An ampoule glass tube cutter comprising a pair of levers pivoted together adjacent one end, yieldable means normally urging their other ends apart, one of said other ends comprising a recessed ampoule tube receiving jaw, the other of said ends comprising a projecting cutter holding jaw, a cutter, said projecting jaw being complementary to said recessed jaw, and means for moving said projecting jaw toward said recessed jaw against the action of said yieldable means to press and hold its cutter against the outer surface of an ampoule glass tube inserted into said recessed jaw, said moving means comprising a threaded shaft pivoted to one on said levers intermediate its ends and extending through an aperture in the other lever, and nut means threaded on said shaft to abut the back of said other lever, whereby when the ampoule glass tube has been inserted between said projecting and recessed jaws, said nut may be tightened against its abutting lever back to press and hold said cutter with a steady pressure against the ampoule tube to cut the ampoule tube as it is rotated therewithin.

2. An ampoule glass tube cutter comprising a pair of levers pivoted together adjacent one end, yieldable means normally urging their other ends apart, one of said other ends comprising a recess ampoule tube receiving jaw, the other of said ends comprising a projecting cutter holding jaw, a cutter comprising a cutter wheel and a resilient U-shaped axle for said cutter wheel having said wheel journaled on its bight, said projecting jaw having a transverse slot thereacross, a rearwardly extending slot extending therefrom in each of the opposite sides of said jaw of a size to snugly receive said U-shaped axle therein, and a longitudinally extending slot extending deeper than the intersecting transverse slot of a size to permit said cutter wheel to rotate therewithin with its outer cutter edge extending be yond projecting jaw, said projecting jaw being complementary to said recessed jaw, and means for moving said projecting jaw toward said recessed jaw against the action of said yieldable means to press and hold its cutter wheel against the outer surface of an ampoule glass tube inserted into said recessed jaw, said moving means comprising a threaded shaft pivoted to one on said levers intermediate its ends and extending through an aperture in the other lever, and nut means threaded on said shaft to abut the back of said other lever, whereby when the ampoule glass tube has been inserted between said projecting and recessed jaws, said nut may be tightened against its abutting lever back to press and hold said cutter with a steady pressure against the ampoule tube to cut the ampoule tube as it is rotated therewithin.

LOUIS A. PIERSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 454,233 Smith June 16, 1891 467,500 Fenwick Jan. 26, 1892 499,933 Phillips June 20, 1893 1,584,572 FozBello May 11, 1926 1,634,323 Fletcher July 5, 1927 2,425,093 Fosler Aug, 5, 1947 2,447,988 Pierson Aug. 24, 1948 

